Editing & Signing
How to Sign a PDF on iPhone
Sign a PDF on your iPhone in the browser — no app to install. Open the file, draw or type your signature, place it, save. Free and private.
Hamza M.
PDF Workflow Editor
Signing a PDF on an iPhone is a thing "in the moment" — a contract that has to go back at lunchtime, a permission form before the school run. You can do it with no app and no account: the Sign PDF tool runs in Safari, uploads nothing, and lets you draw your signature with a finger, then save the signed file straight back to your iPhone.
The built-in option: Markup
Before anything else, the free option you already own: open the PDF in the Files app, tap the Markup icon (a pen tip in a circle), tap the plus button, choose Signature, draw it, then drag it into place and tap Done. Markup stores your signature for reuse. It is extremely fast for a one-off — and that is also its limit. There is no typed signature, no choice of signature style, no initials workflow, and no control over placement beyond dragging the mark around.
Sign a PDF in Safari, step by step
- 1If the PDF arrived in Mail or WhatsApp, save it to Files first — tap the attachment, tap Share, then Save to Files.
- 2Open Safari and go to the Sign PDF tool.
- 3Tap the upload area; iOS opens the Files picker, where you can reach Downloads, iCloud Drive and any file you saved.
- 4Draw your signature with your finger on the pad (or switch to typing your name, or uploading an image), place it on the line, and download the signed PDF back to Files.
Everything happens in the browser tab. The file is processed on your iPhone rather than sent somewhere, so an NDA or a mortgage amendment does not cross a third-party server before it is signed.
Signatures that stick
- A finger-drawn signature looks natural; a typed one looks tidy and consistent if your penmanship is a wobble.
- Place the signature on the line, then pinch to resize so it sits in proportion to the page.
- Once you download, sign and send the file back through the same app it arrived in — reply with the attachment attached.
Is an on-screen signature legally valid?
Yes, for the everyday "I agree" that most documents need. Under the US E-SIGN Act, UETA and the EU's eIDAS regulation, an electronic signature made with intent to sign is treated like a handwritten one. If a document specifically demands a digital signature backed by a verified certificate, a dedicated signing service is required — an image of your pen marks on the page will not substitute for that.
Do it now
Sign PDF
Add digital signatures to PDFs. It runs in this browser tab — your file is not uploaded anywhere.
Open Sign PDFFrequently asked questions
Do I need to install an app to sign a PDF on my iPhone?+
No. The Sign PDF tool runs in Safari — nothing to install, no account, no App Store access needed. It uses the standard file picker to open your PDF and can save the signed result back to Files.
How do I open a PDF attachment to sign it?+
Tap the attachment in Mail or Messages, use Share > Save to Files, then pick that file inside the tool's upload dialog. iOS browsers open PDFs from the file picker, so saving to Files is the reliable route.
Can I type my signature instead of drawing it?+
Yes. Switch from draw to the typed option and enter your name; you can pick a font and size. Typing is the practical choice when a tidy, repeatable signature matters.
Is signing this way secure?+
The document is processed locally in your browser and nothing is uploaded. Your file only goes where you choose — back into Files, then to the person you send it to.
Is a signed PDF from my iPhone legally binding?+
For ordinary business and personal documents, yes — E-SIGN, UETA and eIDAS recognise electronic signatures made with intent. A certificate-backed digital signature is a different, stronger requirement and is not what this flow provides.